Historically, the Catholic Church has both aided authoritarian regimes and contributed to their demise.
Maria J. Stephan
Dr. Maria J. Stephan co-leads the Horizons Project, an organizing platform dedicated to building an inclusive, multi-racial democracy in the United States. She is the author and editor of five books, including the award-winning book (with Erica Chenoweth) Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. She is a member of the Freedom Trainers and on the advisory council of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence.
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How Catholics have defended free elections—and why they must do so again
Catholics must decide whether we will defend the integrity of U.S. elections as a moral expression of love for neighbor, or watch as the country slides further into authoritarianism.
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U.S. Catholics are facing an authoritarian threat. The church has been here before.
The Catholic Church in the United States today is facing a crucial test. Will Catholic leadership accommodate and adapt itself to authoritarian power? Or will it offer leadership to give hope, oppose authoritarian abuses and defend human freedom?